|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
16 October 2006
Italian maker Fiat is finally back in the Australian passenger
car market after a hiatus of close to 17 years. The release of its
three- and five-door Fiat Punto hatchbacks signal the company’s big
intentions as they are offered in a surprisingly large range of models.
There were certainly plenty of choices for our local importer,
Ateco Automotive, as the current Punto, launched in 2005, is
presently the biggest-selling car in Europe. Over there it’s
tagged as being the Grande Punto, the Grande disappearing for our
market to make life simpler for potential buyers new to the
Italian marque.
Lines of the latest Fiat Punto are elegant in their simplicity.
Only the Italians could have made such a basic shape look so
attractive.
There is a strong push towards diesel power in the new Punto
range; firstly because Italians buy diesels in huge numbers in
their home market; secondly, due to the interest created in this
economy fuel amongst Australian buyers.
Note, though, that diesel prices have risen at the same time as
have petrol ones and there's frequently less discounting on diesel
than petrol. So much of the saving from lower fuel consumption has
been eroded.
Three of the four Punto engines on offer are turbo-diesels; one
of 1.3 litres, the other two being 1.9 litres but with different
levels of tune. The only petrol engine has a capacity of 1.4
litres.
Three levels of trim are on offer; Dynamic, Emotion and Sport.
Dynamic is available with either the 1.3-litre diesel or 1.4-litre
petrol engine, Emotion with the 88 kW version of the 1.9-litre
diesel and Sport with the 96 kW 1.9-litre diesel.
Manual transmissions are five-speed units in the Punto petrol
model and have six speeds in each of the diesels. An automated
manual transmission, known as Dual Logic, will soon be available
as an option in the Punto Dynamic models.
Our test car on this occasion was the Punto Sport so came with
the highest-powered variant of the diesel and the standard
six-speed manual gearbox.
Though it develops good power and torque the 1.9 is not the
quietest of the latest crop of diesel engines, particularly when
heard from outside the car, and has slight vibrations under some
circumstances.
Though it’s certainly smoother and quieter than diesel
engines of a generation or so back, our feeling is that the Punto
powerplant really should be better in the important area of
refinement.
Other than that it is pleasant enough to sit behind. It doesn’t
have a lot of turbo lag and is more than willing to rev once the
lag has passed. There's lots of grunt for strong acceleration,
particularly since the Punto is a relatively small and light car.
Overtaking is safe and simple once you have learnt the
turbocharger’s lag characteristics.
Fuel consumption is likely to be around the six to seven litres
per hundred kilometres figure for the average driver on motorway
or easy-paced country trips. This isn’t likely to rise much over
nine litres per hundred in suburban commuting. Only if you take
serious note of the ‘Sport’ in this variant’s title are you
ever likely to have to put in more than 10 litres for every 100 km
you travel.
Interior space in the Punto is surprisingly good given the car’s
relatively small exterior dimensions. There’s plenty of front
headroom in the standard car although the optional sunroof fitted
to our test car took away some space. There’s reasonable rear
leg and headroom though only families with front occupants of
average height or less will find space for two big teenagers in
the rear seat.
Punto comes well-equipped with all models having air
conditioning, cruise control, trip computer, power windows and
mirrors, remote central locking, CD player with steering wheel
audio controls and ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution.
Front, and side and curtain airbags as well as a
well-engineered body structure contribute to the Punto receiving a
five-star European NCAP crash rating.
The Fiat Punto has handling that’s very European in its
actions and the feedback it gives to the driver. It is enjoyable
to drive hard and fast and has plenty of safety in reserve.
This is achieved with good comfort and noise levels that are
generally well subdued. The Punto can become a bit noisy and harsh
on some really taxing Aussie back roads, but in normal conditions
is fine to ride in.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Dynamic 1.4-litre five-door hatch - $19,990
Dynamic 1.3-litre diesel five-door hatch - $22,990
Emotion 1.9-litre diesel five-door hatch - $27,990
Sport 1.9-litre diesel three-door hatch - $27,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $1500 option in Dynamic, not offered in
Emotion or Sport
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Driver Airbag: Standard in all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Fiat Punto Dynamic 1.3-litre diesel five-door
hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.248 litres
Configuration: Transverse, four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 17.6:1
Bore/Stroke: 69.6 x 82.0mm
Maximum Power: 90kW @ 4000rpm
Maximum Torque: 200Nm @ 1750rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: Not supplied
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4030mm
Wheelbase: 2510mm
Width: 1687mm
Height: 1490mm
Turning Circle: 10.1 metres
Kerb Mass: 1145kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 45 litres
Towing Ability: 400kg (1000kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, telescopic
dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Torsion beam interconnected wheels with torsion
bar, telescopic hydraulic dampers
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Drum
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 11.9 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 18.0 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Diesel
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 4.6 L/100 km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
